Public Works Commissioner Evan Pilachowski said Monday that the city streets in the roughest shape were not necessarily the ones that needed to go to the top of the 2013 paving list.

“When it comes down to the worst streets, the repairs we would need to do this year are no different from the repairs we would need to do three or four years from now,” he said.

The city can save money, according to Pilachowski, by getting to “marginal” streets before they deteriorate further, and then catching up to the streets that are further along later.

In the spring, the Department of Public works hopes to work on sections of Pierpont Avenue, River Street, Highland Avenue Extension, Geminie Street and Marolin Acres totaling about a mile. The River Street project is pending the completion of the separation project at the corner of Brown Street. The work on Gemini is intended to fix the puddle on the northern end.

The Piedmont Parkway project is pending the installation of a new storm sewer. One of the Killington Avenue projects — the section from East Street to Butterfly Avenue — is pending the installation of the new water main.

On hold are Summer Street, which is awaiting the Library Avenue stormwater project, and Baxter Street from Library to State Street, which is awaiting a decision from the state on combined sewage overflow.

Pilachowski said the city has done fairly well in working its way through the last few paving lists.

“A couple of years ago we got a few additional streets done,” he said. “Last year we fell a little short — we spent a little more money leaving less for spring paving than we anticipated.”

Pilachowski said the price of oil drives the price of hot mix, and that fluctuations there can affect how much the city can accomplish within the budget. The city has allocated $500,000 for paving in the proposed FY2014 budget.